Straight Talking
To avoid beating around the bush, I aim to tell it the way it is! If this company does not quickly reverse the injustices of '93, '94, '95, and '99 (B-scales, ASL etc, etc), within the next 2-3 months, they will find themselves facing a massive and spontaneous protest from its aircrew body. I foresee a protest that will take the form of an ongoing, random sickout that will quickly bring the airline effectively to a halt. All that may be required is for the many moderates amongst us to go sick once or twice more than we normally would in order to make this form of protest effective. Let no one say otherwise, "sickness is a legitimate industrial tactic", and is no more under-handed than the shameful tactics which this brainless management has used against its aircrew and their families over the past eight years. For me, the motions at the next AOA EGM are somewhat irrelevant. However, the message they herald will be clear. That message will be that we have reached the point, yet again, where reason has failed to secure our legitimate demands. Each individual will be left with the only effective weapon available to him - that is, the withholding of his labour. Some will choose to do this once or twice, others more - and this will go on and on and on and on! There need not be any recriminations about whether or not an individual went sick or otherwise during the 2001 dispute. If he went sick at all, he will have played a part. Of course, one might reasonably expect such a programme of protest to gain momentum as the weeks go by. Nick, if you or your cohorts read these pages, you have been warned. As TH once said, "every dog has its day". You have sucessfully managed to alienate every section of the aircrew body and, unless you change course, you will pay the price of your ineptitude.
[This message has been edited by Neutral Stability (edited 11 May 2001).]